mother+ MEETS… KATE BROOKFIELD, social media led estate agency founder

Kate Brookfield spent years working in traditional estate agency before launching her own social-media-led property consultancy in 2024. Her approach blends property expertise with storytelling, using social platforms to market homes in a way that feels more personal, visual and lifestyle-driven. Since launching, Kate has built a growing audience online, opened her own studio in Harlesden and is quickly becoming one of the most recognisable voices in London’s new wave of property marketing.

We spoke to Kate about building a brand from scratch, the changing landscape of property sales, motherhood and why protecting your energy matters more than ever.

Tell us a little about what you do and what led you here.

I launched my company in February 2024 with a mission to build a strong brand around using social media to sell homes through content creation and storytelling. Thankfully people seem to enjoy the way I approach property, and things have grown quickly.

I now have my own studio in Harlesden, I’m starting a podcast and I’m receiving media requests from some very cool publications, including Mother+. I was also recently featured in House & Garden, which still feels slightly surreal.

What does a typical day look like for you now, if there is such a thing?

The one thing that never changes is that my day starts and ends with being a mum. I have two boys, George who is eight and Freddie who is four, so the morning is the usual battle to get everyone out of the door and to school on time.

Once they’re dropped off, I sit in the car for five or ten minutes in silence to reset before the workday begins.

No two days look the same. I might head straight to my studio or to an appointment, which could be showing a property to a buyer or meeting someone who is considering selling their home. Wherever I am, there is always a lot of communication to manage. Emails, Instagram messages, WhatsApp and calls. Between my assistant Zoe and me we keep everything moving, but it can be intense.

And then of course there’s the content. Filming and creating content is a big part of my work now, and it’s something I genuinely enjoy.

After years in traditional estate agency, you made the bold move to launch your own social-media-led property consultancy. What made you realise the industry needed a different approach?

The UK property industry is shifting quickly towards brokerage models, where individuals operate more independently under larger brands rather than being traditionally employed. That shift naturally allows people to build personal brands, and social media is the most powerful place to do that.

I could see the industry moving in this direction and I wanted to be ahead of it rather than ten steps behind.

I’m not the first person in the UK to use social media to sell homes. There are a handful of us who have made it a genuinely effective tool for property marketing, and we each do it in slightly different ways. But the space is becoming more crowded, which means it’s important to keep evolving and staying creative.

How has motherhood shaped how you work, or how you define success?

Motherhood gives you grit. When you’re raising children there are no days off, and running your own business feels very similar.

Success can be measured in many ways, but for me it comes down to happiness and the freedom to be authentic and creative in my work. That might sound unusual for an estate agent, but at heart I’m a creative person. For years in my career I was told I wasn’t that person, or that creativity didn’t belong in this industry. Now I have the freedom to express myself through my work, and that’s something I want my children to see. I want them to know they can build careers that allow them to be fully themselves too.

What do you wish people understood about building something from scratch?

When you build a business, it requires you to give parts of yourself to it in ways you could never fully understand beforehand. It becomes part of your life every minute of the day. There isn’t really an off switch.

Where do you find your energy, and what tends to drain it?

I think I’m naturally wired to work hard. I’ve always been like that. But I do need sleep, and I need daylight. Sunshine and being outside makes a huge difference to my energy. What drains me is dealing with very intense personalities. Since having children I’ve become much more protective of my energy and my mental health.

I try to keep a healthy distance from people who feel overwhelming. I’m very receptive to people’s energy, and when I look at the people I enjoy spending time with most, they are always the ones who bring a sense of lightness.

What’s one decision that changed everything for you or for the business?

Hiring my personal assistant Zoe. She’s younger than me but sometimes I jokingly call her my work mum. She looks after me and makes sure I take space when I need it so I don’t burn out. Having someone you trust like that is invaluable.

Social media is transforming how homes are marketed and discovered. How do you think the relationship between property, storytelling and lifestyle will evolve over the next few years?

I think social media will become the forefront of property marketing. Homes don’t exist in isolation. They’re connected to lifestyle, neighbourhoods, cafés, schools and the culture of an area. You simply can’t communicate that through a few poorly lit photos and a generic property description.

From the very beginning I noticed that I was engaging with far more buyers through social media than I ever had through traditional marketing. The level of interaction and conversation is completely different.

What does balance mean to you right now?

Balance is something I still struggle with. I’m trying to be less hard on myself. I often feel guilty if I miss something happening at school or forget to reply to friends. Starting a business has taken a huge amount of time and energy, and while things are going well, it does require sacrifices.

At the moment I’m riding the wave of building something exciting and seeing where it leads. I just hope the people around me understand that this phase requires a lot from me, and that sometimes I can only give what little free time I have.

And finally, what’s one thing you’d tell other women who are trying to do both: raise a family and build a business?

Don’t be too hard on yourself when you drop the ball. Even without starting a business we’re already spinning so many plates. When you build something from the ground up, you’re simply adding more into the air.

For more information follow Kate on Instagram: @kate_the_agent

Quick Fire Round

Current bedside book
Doppelgänger by Naomi Klein

Go-to podcast or playlist when you need a boost
My Therapist Ghosted Me. I need to laugh and they are so funny.

Favourite place to eat with kids, and without
With kids, Franco Manca. For date night, The Hero in W9.

A mantra, quote or reminder you come back to
“What is for you won’t pass you.”